The North Star, Volume 35, Issue 4

Money Talks

Read about the changes to the Blue Valley budget and what that could mean for Blue Valley North, on page 14

BLUE VALLEY NORTH HIGH SCHOOL | OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS | VOLUME 35 | ISSUE 4

table of contents

Features 12 14 19 22

Educate and Advocate Money Talks Beauty Barriers the name of the game

Education 18 30 31

Student Life 04 05 06 08 10 26 28

Freshman catch-up missing out on memories Becoming a graduate Back to School ... Again start video Private to Public It’s all about balance

finance flow Taking Stock I want to learn more...

2 | The North Star | April 2021

Opinion 24 Letter from the editors 25 Editorial Cartoon

10 must-visit coffee shops in kc

by Caroline Haines The Spotify Courtrom

by Jack Toal

STAFF

online

Quiz: Which Staffer Are You?

by Maddie AUstin

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ellianna cierpiot yasmeen saadi

web editors angelica henson charitha lakkireddy

social media alex doege

copy editors maddie austin Caroline CLarke KARA DESKIN

staff writers

socials

reece bachta adelaide edwards caroline haines gaby kill arshiya pant ella shafer ella thomas jack toal

Twitter - @bvnnews snapchat - @bvnnews Instagram - @bvnnews website - bvnnews.com

The North Star is the official high school news publication of Blue Valley North High School, an open forum distributed to all the students five times a year. This is the April issue of volume 35. This issue of The North Star is published digitally through ISSUU and in print by “The Sedalia Democrat.” This is a student publication and may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley School District No. 229 and its board members, officers and employees disclaim any responsibility for the content of this student publication; it is not an expression of School District Policy. Students and editors are solely responsible for the content of this student publication.

April 2021 | The North Star | 3

student life

Freshman ‘Catch-Up’

The high school experience looks a little different this year. Hear from freshmen about their year so far and their hopes for fourth quarter. Story by Jack Toal

F

or the first time since BVN was founded in 1986, the freshman class has been in the building for just under a quarter of a year.

Many eighth graders view the high school transition as a journey of discovery, with many classes, clubs and activities available to them that weren’t there in middle school.

For the class of 2024, however, the change from middle to high school has been bookended by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the BVN Instagram, roughly 65 percent of the student body believes that freshmen this year have had it harder than previous freshmen.

Freshman Remi Siner described the start of freshman year as “uncertain.”

“I’d say it was tricky starting all virtual. It was hard to get into a flow, meet people and learn,” Siner said. “It was especially...awkward in breakout rooms since we didn’t know each other.”

Freshman Dylan Zeller believes that missing out on high school traditions like homecoming was something minor for freshmen, but was worse for upperclassmen.

“I wasn’t too upset about missing out on homecoming or sweetheart because I’m a freshman so I can go to more in the future, but I think it would’ve been a little more frustrating if I was an upperclassmen,” Zeller said.

However, other freshmen were disappointed with the lack of traditions and activities available to them for their first year of high school. Additionally, socializing became more difficult.

According to freshman STUCO President Eli West, it was difficult to work without having those regular social connections.

“The hardest thing has been socializing and meeting new classmates.

I got to keep in touch with some of my friends [from middle school], but I also lost contact with some along the way,” West said. “I thrive with my interactions, so it has been harder especially since I’m doing all Virtual the rest of the year.”

In the beginning of the year, there were some struggles due to freshmen not knowing many of their classmates.

According to Siner, the communication barrier lessened as the year went on.

On March 23, BVN moved back to an in-person schedule, creating increased class sizes. Before the change, some freshmen, including Siner, looked forward to the new learning mode.

“I’m excited for in-person because it will feel more like school when we don’t have to log on to a Zoom just to attend class,” Siner said. “I’m not too worried about COVID in school because I haven’t heard of any instances of people getting it from school. As long as they keep lunch

TOP RIGHT: Freshman Maiya Whelan uses a computer.

BOTTOM LEFT: Mrs. Morris teachers her freshmen students ELA 9.

4 | The North Star | April 2021

distanced and a mask mandate, then I’m not too worried about it.”

Many students still haven’t gotten to explore much of the building due to restrictions during lunch and a lack of knowledge about the building in general — especially for all-virtual students.

“The first time I was at North was last year for the tour along with many other students,” West said. “Overall, I’ve only been [at school] a couple of times, so knowing the layout is a little difficult, but I think it won’t be hard to adjust to.”

On March 1, the Spring Season began again for student athletes. According to the BVN Instagram, around 57 percent of freshmen have participated, or are participating, in sports this year.

“Sports have come as a relief because school can get repetitive sometimes and take a mental toll on students. Having a sport to go to after is a good form of relief for many students and allows us time to meet other students as well,” Zeller said.

For some freshman, like Siner, sports have been the easiest part of the transition.

“Sports have honestly come easiest through the adjustment. Cross country training and soccer conditioning have felt the most natural and haven’t felt crazy different from before,” Siner said.

The girls soccer team has already had to quarantine because of a case on the team. Most of the athletes were released on March 9, upon having no symptoms and a negative test.

Despite the obstacles of the year so far, all-in-person could end up being a fresh start for some freshmen as they move into their final quarter of the year, according to Zeller, who said he is hopeful for a positive change.

“All-in-person is probably going to be weird at first but will be much easier because teachers won’t also have to teach through Zoom,” Zeller said. “Hopefully, it’ll become gradually more ‘school-like’ especially by the end of the year.”

Student Life

FOCO, FOMO, and the importance of the school dance: How much does prom matter?

Missing out on memories?

S

chool dances are seen by some as a quintessential part of the high school experience.

From wearing school colors to homecoming games to choosing a prom dress, most high schoolers get the chance to go to at least one school dance in their four years, if they so choose. This year, though, things have looked a little different.

There are no BVN dances, as prom was canceled officially in March, following the cancellation of homecoming and Sweetheart dances. The idea of not having a prom can be disappointing for many students, but senior class president Ethan Breedlove said that it was necessary.

“I totally understand, and [the cancellation] is the logical decision,” Breedlove said, but added that he was “disappointed” and said he thought there should have been a masked, socially distant prom instead.

Breedlove also thinks that, in reality, prom isn’t as important as people think it is.

“When our parents went to school, it was more important to them, because that was what people did, but now I think that… [prom] has become more of an after-party situation, where people

By Ellianna Cierpiot

don’t even go to the dance sometimes,” Breedlove said.

According to Breedlove, however, there is an effort from some members of the student council to hold an unofficial prom event, to allow students to still have that experience.

Opinions on the importance of dances are mixed. While some students would consider their time in high school incomplete without going to at least one, other students could take it or leave it.

Senior Gladys Bockelman said that she doesn’t see much importance in school dances.

“I’m not big on dressing up and spending money on all that,” Bockelman said. “I think they’re a fun part of the [high school] experience, though.”

The Sweetheart dance is normally held in February, but this year Sweetheart royalty was crowned virtually. Bockelman was chosen as Sweetheart queen.

Overall, Bockelman said she doesn’t feel she’s missed much by not being able to attend the Sweetheart dance and instead said the best parts of a dance don’t happen within the school event.

Senior Kendall Barnes echoed this, saying her favorite parts involved spending time with her friends.

“I do think [dances are] important, but not necessarily the dance itself, I think it’s getting to spend time with your friends, go to dinner, have fun afterwards, laugh at the dancing… getting to go dress shopping — [those are] the parts of the dance that everyone likes.”

Overall, according to Barnes, the school dance is an experience that everyone should have at least once.

However, those experiences don’t necessarily have to be tied to an official school dance. Things like dinner and formal wear, Barnes said, can be organized individually.

After the cancellation of the homecoming dance, some BVN students began to have “FOCO” events.

Essentially, this meant getting dressed up and going to dinner with their friends — the aspects that Barnes said are the most important. She and her friends had a “fake Sweetheart” in February, which she said was “a really good time.”

Although it’s possible to have a good time without an official prom, Barnes said she’s “frustrated” by the cancellation, because she had seen friends at other schools be able to have their proms.

“It makes me think… why not us, when schools who are bigger than [BVN] are doing it?” Barnes said, adding that she had hoped to have a lasting positive experience with her senior prom.

Are BVN students truly missing out on an integral high school experience? Barnes said, probably not. However, they might be losing school spirit.

“The thing I feel like we’ve missed out most on is the fun things we did before homecoming, like... getting to decorate the halls and have that pride… trying to beat the other grades in competitions,” Barnes said. “The school spirit is what I miss the most, not the actual dance itself.”

april 2021 | The North Star | 5

Student Life

Becoming A Graduate

H

bvn enrollment forms were due feb. 19.

Here is how bvn students decided on their classes.

ow is enrollment changing?

What classes can students take?

Seniors have advice on what classes are a hit or miss, and how to stay on the right path for graduation.

BVN’s counselors visited classrooms in early February to share information about enrollment forms, due Feb. 19. These forms let counselors know what classes students wanted to enroll in.

According to the Blue Valley School’s graduation requirements, students must complete and pass three credits of math, science and history, as well as four credits of ELA. When students are applying for courses, they should be wary that they need to complete these to graduate.

Senior Kennedy Atchison achieved most of her credits in her first three years and said she enjoyed the math classes she has taken.

“Anatomy and physiology, all math classes, were an eye-opener for me,” said Atchison. “I enjoyed them a lot more than what I had anticipated and it made me rethink my future career.”

Something students may need to consider prerequisites when choosing courses — classes that need to be taken before others. These pertain to core classes as well as the arts.

Senior Abby Collins is an involved student-athlete that took enrollment seriously and was academically successful all four years of high school.

“Make sure to take the prerequisites

for classes that you want to do earlier, that way you can get involved through the class as soon as possible and follow a track that interests you,” Collins said. “I really enjoyed all the coding classes, and I took Software Development/Game Design, Honors Java and AP Comp Sci A. These classes are all interlinked so I am glad that I took SD/GD my sophomore year

“

... get involved through the class as soon as possible and follow a track that interests you.

- abby collins

“

... Classes like banD encourage you to skills beyond just musical skills — interpersonal relationships team work, confidence.

6 | The North Star | APRIL 2021

“

Beginning insert Picture here

Band

BVN’s band program is working to add a beginner band class for students who have little to no experience in band but want to try something new.

- Dan freeman, Bvn band director

“

because it allowed me to pursue this interest.”

Other requirements outside of core classes are health, art, computer technology and physical education.

There’s a variety of classes to take to fulfill these credits.

Coach Sims and Fritz, both physical education teachers and BVN coaches, said their classes are fit for anyone.

According to their course descriptions, Strength and Conditioning is built for athletes who want to improve their

strength and flexibility for their sports.

However, fitness foundations is for students looking for something more relaxed and similar to their middle school PE experience.

Sophomore Stella Scoggin took yoga her freshman year and said she enjoyed the field trips.

“I actually really liked going to different places like kickboxing, yoga and top golf, because even though it was working out, it was super fun doing it with my friends.”

Besides the physical education class students are required to take, students also take other elective classes that veer toward their careers and prepare them for their futures.

“A lot of the classes that I took were from the STEM fields so they definitely line up with classes that I will need to take in college as well as information that I will need to know in the future,” Collins said. “The Drafting classes that I took really helped me think about the path that I want to take in the future because I got hands-on work which I can use the experiences from to apply to my future career as an electrical engineer.”

While Collins knew what she wanted her future career to revolve around when she was a freshman, Atchison changed her interests and didn’t necessarily like all of the classes she enrolled in.

“I definitely regret taking some classes,” Atchison said. “Because of a

Junior Megan Meyer plays in her band class. This was her third year taking band at BVN. photo by adelaide edwards

teacher, my experience was super hard, and almost failed the class because she wouldn’t teach us in person. Instead, we taught ourselves at home and did labs at school. To me, [a class is the most enjoyable when] you’re able to have freedom in the class [and] work how you feel most comfortable.”

Five out of six students interviewed agree that teachers also play a huge role in whether a student genuinely enjoys a class or regrets taking it.

Collins, who’s enrolled in a large range of classes, disagreed, saying that she has had no bad experiences with teachers at North and that they all do their best to help suit the student’s needs.

“I have never had a teacher ‘break’ a class, especially at North since all of my teachers have been great,” Collins said. “I have had teachers that really make a class entertaining and more interesting through providing more hands-on activities and an overall more exciting environment that actually makes me want to learn.”

With years of learning experience, students have been through many teachers that implement different styles of teaching.

Sophomore Aaron Yurman is heavily interested in BVN’s broadcasting program

and wants to pursue a career in media or business.

“To me, the thing that makes a class fun to take is how creative you get to be in that class. I find that I don’t enjoy... classes that have to follow a syllabus in comparison to ones that do not have a strict curriculum,” Yurman said. “I wish [teachers] would do more interactive things as opposed to just lecturing.”

Collins said collaborative and

“

... don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone...

“

- Kennedy atchison

interactive activities rather than lectures help keep her engaged.

“A fun class is engaging, interactive, and challenging but not impossibly difficult,” Collins said. “Classes also are fun when what you learn can then be applied to your own life.”

Enrollment time can be stressful if

students don’t know what is the right choice for them. This is why it is so important for the school to be there to guide them through the process.

“The counselors are really helpful in regards to helping you work classes into your schedule to fit with your goals,” Collins said. “Something that I think could be brought up more often is the pros and cons of taking AP tests versus the concurrent credit, and I think this information should be brought up to freshmen because it provides them with an opportunity to think ahead and plan for how they can get college credit.”

There are many decisions that students have to make every year, and they all add up in the end.

“Advice I wish I could’ve received as a freshman is to make each class count for your goals after high school and work hard for them,” Atchison said. “Stay true to yourself, and don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone, because you never know what class will change your life.”

by ella shafer

categorizing classes Drafting & architecture Wood Technologies

Engineering

Media Production

nursing/ medicine

- Expands on principles of architectural and engineering drafting - Hands-on design problems, architectural design projects

- Project-oriented in wood and other material - Cabinet-making and furniture design industry

Broadcasting

21st Century Journalism

- Hands-on experience in techniques of professional video production - Learn fundamental principles of visual storytelling, interviewing, video editing, etc.

- Incorporates technology to become better communicators and media consumers - Focuses on journalistic writing including news, sports, feature, opinion

Anatomy & Physiology

Intro to Health Sciences

- explore the structure of the human body and how it functions - perform comparative dissection labs and use the microscope

- basic knowledge of health/ wellness professionals in private business - instruction nutrition, epidemiology, disease prevention, etc.

April 2021 | The North Star | 7

Type of story

BACK TO SCHOOL....

AGAIN

After months of hybrid and remote learning, all students who chose in-person learning returned to BVN after Spring Break, but students and staff have varying opinions about how safe and successful they predict this return to be.

By Charitha Lakkireddy

M

arch 12, 2020 — it was the day before Spring Break and the last in-person learning day of the 2019-2020 school year. It was also the last time many students, including senior Leah Perila, saw some of their classmates in over a year.

Since the start of the 2020-2021 school year, BVN has relied on fully remote learning and hybrid learning.

Under fully remote, all students were attending school virtually at home.

Under hybrid, students were divided into two groups based on their last names, alternating, so that only one group is in person each day. Because of this, some students haven’t seen their classmates in the opposite group in person since March 2020.

Now, more than a year later, BVN is welcoming back all students to fully inperson learning. This return comes with a variety of emotions for students, from excitement to anxiety, and a mix of both

8 | The North Star | April 2021

for some, including Perila.

As fun as Perila expects the classroom reunions between students and teachers to be, she said she isn’t sure it offsets the fear settling in over the increased risk of contracting COVID-19. As a result of having classrooms at normal capacity and twice the number of students in the hallways, many social distancing protocols cannot be followed.

“It’s partly understandable why this decision was made at this time as we are moving into a new quarter and the number of cases and the positivity percentages for COVID-19 have been on the decline,” Perila said. “However, I’m definitely apprehensive about this decision personally.”

Perila maintains that hybrid is her preferred learning mode because it offered her the best of both worlds and she hopes to return to it. “[Hybrid learning] allowed a balance between socialization and face-to-face

time with the freedom that came with being home,” Perila said. “...Going fully in person causes a level of discomfort for me, but at the same time, total separation and being online [makes it] difficult to stay motivated. It’s hard seeing little to no one.”

The return to school was the day after students returned from Spring Break, which was another concern for Perila.

She said that she’s disappointed by BV’s decision in general, but the date of the return is salt in the wound.

“A large percentage of students are coming back from vacationing and behaving out of the district’s safety control and that just makes it that much worse,” Perila said. “My nerves have heightened knowing many of my classmates are just returning from trips, and although many abide by safety guidelines and take actions to travel and enjoy their location safely, there is also a large amount of photos, videos and stories that make it evident

many students and families sadly and scarily don’t.”

BVN administrator Kelli Kurle is not as worried about the date of the return, as she believes that the transition to this learning mode will never be a completely smooth one.

“There always will be something to make an adjustment for,” Kurle said.

“Either families are taking this seriously and being safe or they aren’t — whether they are in town or out of town. Since we are all masked at school, the risk is low at school.”

With all students back in the building, many classes are expected to be full houses, with every seat being filled. This comes at the cost of social distancing, and

“The guidelines for school recommendations have moved to 3 feet which is mostly doable,” Kurle said.

“Between that, masks and air flow, we feel good about safety.”

Regardless of the safety measures taken, there’s no certainty about how this will influence the number of exposures and cases. Because of this, there are alternatives available if fully in-person learning cannot be continued.

“I can’t even begin to predict where the numbers will go with gating criteria,” Kurle said. “If they get bad we always have the option to go back to hybrid or remote. Those are never off the table.”

Although the possibility of social distancing has been eliminated to fit all

“I think I’m safe and I’ll survive coivd-19. I’ve already been warned and threatened to be kicked out [about masks]. [BVN] is doing perfect how they’re doing now. It’s good to be back.”

“Since everybody was traveling during spring break, I would’ve wanted two weeks off just to clear the air. I wouldn’t have wanted full in-person right after. I feel like we might have to go back to hybrid. ”

- Senior Joe Brethour the feeling of safety for Perila.

“I wouldn’t say that I feel safe returning to school fully in person as my classes already felt pretty full with only half of the alphabet there,” Perila said.

“When I was discussing what seating arrangements would look like with my friends and teachers, it included needing to have desks super close together and the inability to socially distance in any sense.”

Despite efforts made to follow safety protocols, Perila doesn’t feel that they are being taken as seriously as they need to be.

“Realistically, I wasn’t expecting any social distancing to happen for full in-person, mostly because it didn’t really happen when we were still in hybrid,” Perila said. “I’ve seen students walking around with their masks beneath their noses at school and most of my classes were already close to being full even with just my half of the alphabet. Adding the other group into already full classrooms just increases the risk of exposure because we don’t have the space to socially distance, and it only gets more dangerous when students aren’t always wearing their masks correctly.”

Kurle said that she isn’t concerned about increased risk because the school’s first priority is safety.

navigate this adjustment.”

Perila’s concerns regarding the return are many and various, which she believes she shares with many teachers and students alike.

“Students have to go from learning in the comfort of their homes every other day to never having that comfort and relief again,” Perila said. “...There will also be an academic adjustment as students have gotten used to using the internet as a tool that teachers will begin to take away and move back into pencil and paper materials and tests. Mental health needs to be an even higher priority in the coming weeks as students will face a social adjustment, higher stress in academics, and heightened anxieties

- Sophomore Audrey Kohnen students in classrooms, Spanish teacher Katherine Tankel emphasized the importance of wearing masks and taking other safety precautions, as well as the resources available to students during this adjustment period.

“If everyone does their part, we can

“

going fully in person causes a level of discomfort for me, but at the same time, total separation and being online is difficult to stay motivated.

- Leah Perila

“

help make the transition to full in-person safer,” Tankel said. “This means wearing masks properly at all times as well as respecting any protocols in classrooms, at lunch and at practices. If students are feeling uncomfortable, coming back full in-person, they can always find a trusted teacher, counselor or other adult to chat with and find some tools/resources to help

related to COVID-19 fears and everything else being taken on.”

Tankel held the same views as Perila, in that classes had different expectations during the remote and hybrid learning stages, but she believes that the dust will settle soon enough.

“Returning to full in person will obviously have an adjustment period for students,” Tankel said. “Classes in different subject areas have worked differently during hybrid, so I think the pace of school will feel different and maybe a bit faster-moving than it has previously due to the fact that students will be in the building more frequently.”

She said that communication between students and teachers is key because this is a first-time experience for all of them.

“A successful transition will depend greatly upon communication between teachers and students,” Tankel said.

“Classes that are full in-person will look different from subject to subject in terms of workload, but ultimately all of the teachers at North want students to feel successful — we want to hear from you and have a gauge on how you’re doing as you adjust back to full in-person classes.”

april 2021 | The North Star | 9

STUDENT LIFE

START VIDEO S

STUDENT SURVEy

tudent faces replaced black boxes in many classes this semester as the Blue Valley school district moved to mandate turning on Zoom cameras.

In an email sent to students on Jan. 13 announcing the new policy, BVN administration explained that the expectation would “[assist] with engagement, [monitor] students as learners, [benefit] student-to-teacher connections, and [create] ease and increased accuracy when it comes to taking attendance.”

From an Instagram poll of 191 BVN students, 86 percent believed the mandate was not a good idea, for reasons such as privacy, living conditions, distractions and general insecurities. Sophomore Trichelle Mpofu disagreed with the mandate because having her camera on added distractions.

Mpofu said she often fixated on herself when her camera is on, instead of paying attention to class, because she felt like everyone was looking at her.

Although she did not have problems with Zoom first semester, Mpofu was aware that other students left and did other activities while cameras were off.

“I think that a lot of the kids that turn their cameras off and leave, it’s just because the class isn’t engaging,” Mpofu said. “...

A lot of the time when it’s just my Zoom classes, we either watch a long video that’s outdated or do a lot of stuff that’s not fun at all. And especially because we’re on Zoom this semester, it’s making it a lot harder for kids to learn.”

Senior Mihir Sunkara has also felt the added difficulty of learning this year.

However, his main reason for disliking the mandate was due to privacy concerns, for example students who might work in their living rooms and have other family members in the background. He said he felt there could be better ways to make sure students focus in class without impeding on convenience or privacy.

For him personally, the mandate has not been a problem, but because he thinks it could become a problem for other students, he does not believe it should have become mandatory.

“I have my own room and everything’s fine, but I know there are a few people who just, the very thought of having 15-30 people depending on the situation, looking at them through a camera within their own home is very different,” Sunkara said.

On the other hand, senior Hannah Smuckler was part of the 14 percent of students polled who agreed with the necessity of the mandate. Although

are you In Favor of cameras on? (191 students)

27 164 yes

no

“it’s meant to make students more engaged but actually just adds another distraction.”

- anna mccartan

10 | The North Star | April 2021

Students and teachers react to this semester’s ‘camera on’ policy for Zoom classes. by yasmeen saadi Smuckler personally does not like turning on her camera, she said it was better for engagement and connectivity.

“When you were [on Zoom] it was fine, but when you were in person and you saw the other side of it, it made me sad seeing the teacher look over to the class at home and it was just a blank screen,” Smuckler said. “... They can’t be in control of the class when everyone has their video off.

And obviously that’s their job, to make sure everyone is getting an education.”

This semester, Smuckler has been trying to be more engaged and present in her Zoom classes by speaking during class discussions and paying attention to class lessons, especially because she empathizes with the teachers.

“I’m sure it’s devastating for them because they’re trying so hard and they weren’t planning on being a remote teacher ever,” Smuckler said. “... I know so much for teachers is about the connection they make with the students, and that’s probably so much harder now.

In direct contrast to the student poll, a survey of 44 teachers showed that 86.4 percent were in favor of mandating Zoom cameras and 13.6 percent were not in favor.

History and Economics teacher Elizabeth Cornell was in favor of the mandate because

have you felt more engaged this semester? (122 students)

59 63 yes

no

“It completely invades the privacy of students’ homes.”

- dylan long

“It helps bring back the idea of a classroom.”

- hannah smuckler

have you noticed higher engagement

yes

yes

38 6

no

“It just sucks your energy.

It’s like you’re trying to be engaging and it’s hard enough to teach virtually, let alone to no faces.”

- rebecca dalton

this semester? (44 teachers)

41 3

no

“there’s no way to check and know if the students are following along and are getting what you’re saying.”

of the positive effect it had on her teaching and interactions with students.

“I didn’t even like to ask them [questions] when they were black screens, because I felt like I was just sitting there and I had no idea if anyone was on the other end,” Cornell said. “I asked for feedback at the end of the semester and I had a couple students say that I talked really fast.

And I think that’s because I didn’t feel any engagement, so I was just like, ‘Alright let’s cross this off my list.’”

Although for most students Cornell enforces the ‘cameras on’ policy, she also recognizes that students may feel uncomfortable and encourages her students to talk to her if they want to create a specific plan for their learning.

On the other hand, librarian and virtual education teacher Abby Cornelius is strongly against the mandate and believes student comfort should come first. During her classes, she has seen other family members in the background of Zooms and even decor and items in a student’s room affecting student comfort.

Cornelius is part of a teachers advisory group with the superintendent where she and other teachers have quarterly meetings to discuss various topics, one of which included the “cameras on” policy.

“The teachers were saying, ‘It’s just so sad and depressing to teach to all those black boxes,’ and I was like, ‘Well, yeah, but everything’s kind of sad and depressing right now. And if there’s a poop sandwich to eat, the adults eat the poop sandwich,’” Cornelius said. “We teach to the black boxes, so the kids don’t have to eat the poop sandwich of showing their camera if it makes them uncomfortable. But we’ve ignored that and we’re doing the thing that makes us comfortable at the expense of children.”

Cornelius teaches virtual classes and said she has not experienced difficulties teaching to students with cameras off. She

“It makes me uncomfortable as a teacher to force students to be uncomfortable by forcing the mandate.”

- anna porter

said she found teaching on Zoom to be more engaging at times because students who would not normally speak up in class use the chat feature to participate.

Rather than creating a policy for cameras to be on, Cornelius said the district could have improved student engagement by showing teachers how to lead discussions or make use of certain Zoom features.

Because she does not believe the mandate is accepting of all students, Cornelius does not enforce it within her classes.

“One of the district initiatives that we’re moving towards is to really think about and improve diversity, equity and inclusion and that’s like a catchphrase.

That’s a catchphrase for the country, that’s a catchphrase for the district,” Cornelius said. “So if we’re going to do that, ‘camera on’ is not good evidence that that’s what we’re doing.”

Although she does not think any class would need to require cameras to be on, Cornelius acknowledged that many performing arts classes would be difficult to teach over Zoom.

This difficulty is something band teacher Dan Freeman learned to overcome.

Freeman said it is important for cameras to be on to make sure students are actually playing and following along with the music. However, for individual cases and circumstances, he is flexible.

“When their videos are muted, we have no idea, and I’d say it’s at best a 50/50 chance that a kid was actually doing what they were supposed to be doing,” Freeman said.

For Freeman, teaching is supposed to be interactive and with school online for most of this year, he found it difficult to maintain that level of interaction and connection.

While he is a fan of ‘cameras on’ as a teacher, Freeman understands that students feel differently and hopes students understand that having cameras on helps the class overall

- anonymous

teacher SURVEy

are you In Favor of cameras on? (44 teachers)

in helping teachers “sense the room.”

“If we’re just going to be pounding our head against the wall, doing something that’s not getting us any return in a class, we should stop doing it and try something different,” Freeman said. “And that’s easy to do in person. It’s hard to do over Zoom, but it’s at least somewhat possible when we can see the students. It is impossible when we can’t.”

Katie Collier, Deputy Superintendent of Academic Services, said a concern for student safety and well-being led to the policy of ‘cameras on.’ After looking at other districts’ policies, both in Kansas and across other states, the district decided the mandate would be most effective.

“We have been concerned, and we’ve had many reports from teachers and administrators concerned about our students’ social and emotional needs,” Collier said. “And one way of monitoring students’ social and emotional needs is to be able to physically check in on our students, so the use of the Zoom camera allows us to see our students and be able to see how they’re doing.”

Collier said the district does not enforce repercussions for cameras being turned off, however a “proactive step” for teachers is to contact parents and make sure the student is okay.

In the beginning, Collier said the district had mixed responses to the mandate, but through allowing flexibility and understanding, her office has not received many complaints or concerns.

“It truly was out of a desire to make sure our students were safe and to better monitor student learning,” Collier said.

Starting March 23, the district moved from hybrid back to in person, so many students and teachers will not face the same difficulties of managing Zoom. But for virtual students, Zoom will continue — and so will the ‘cameras on’ policy.

April 2021 | The North Star | 11

Feature

Educate and Advocate The Holocaust and Anti-semitism Education Club aims to bring awareness to Jewish issues and allows students to see global perspectives on Anti-semitism.

By Alex Doege

A

nti-semitic hate crimes — defined as crimes directed at Jewish people or the Jewish community — have been at an all-time high since 2019, according to data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). This came with a 56 percent increase in assaults and multiple fatalities.

However, the ADL says that Anti-semitism isn’t just acts of violence — it can be words, the spread of false information and stereotypes, or even things intended as jokes. BVN’s Holocaust and Anti-semitism Education Club intends to bring change to the BVN community, one step at a time.

“

Anti-semitism is probably the highest it has been since World War II. - Rebecca Dalton

“

Senior Zoe Sher started the club last school year alongside junior Emma Jacobson, with English teacher Rebecca Dalton as their sponsor, in hopes of educating the community and giving resources to help students understand the impact and roots of Anti-semitism.

Dalton has been working to educate

12 | The North Star | April 2021

on the Holocaust and its impact for nearly two decades before she sponsored the club.

“I’ve been a member of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education (MCHE) teaching for 19 years,” Dalton said.

“When I learned that Zoe was wanting to start the club, I was super excited.”

She and the club took outside action in order to know the information they were sharing about the Holocaust and Antisemitism is accurate and relevant.

“We met with the MCHE executive director this summer and talked about the need for the club,” Dalton said.

According to Dalton, there is a strong need, because of the recorded rise in Anti-semitism, which data from experts echoes. Since 2019, there has been a 14 percent increase in Anti-semitic violence, according to the ADL. “Anti-semitism is probably the highest it has been since World War II,” Dalton said. “We want to show people really what’s going on around the world and help to educate them and make them aware of the hugeness of the situation.”

Club co-founder Jacobson described how the rise in Anti-semitism is concerning to see in 2021 and emphasized the need for a club focused on combating it.

“We’ve seen a pretty drastic rise in Anti-semitism, not only in Blue Valley North, but around the world and on social media as well, too,” Jacobson said. “We thought it would be really cool to kind

By the Numbers: Every day there are

Incidents were reported in

Incidents have risen

Anti-semitic incidents, on average

Out of 50 states, excluding AK and HI

in K-12 schools since 2018

6

48

19%

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports Anti-semitic incidents, defined as harassment, vandalism, or assault. (Data taken from the ADL.)

of make a club to educate and bring in speakers to show students what Antisemitism looks like on an extreme level.”

Jacobson also said that the speakers the club has hosted virtually from all around

“

I think... those kids who aren’t actually Jewish are really the ones making a difference [because] they can educate themselves and their friends on how to be allies to their Jewish friends.

- Emma Jacobson

“

the world have given club members a greater understanding of global Jewish experiences.

“Once a month we have Zoom meetings and have recently been bringing in special guests,” Jacobson said. “We’ve had some pretty interesting people come to speak, including a DC Holocaust Museum presenter and people from the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education.”

According to Jacobson, anyone can

join in on these events, and the club is open to all students who are interested in becoming an ally to Jewish people.

“Around 30 percent of our club members are not actually Jewish,” Jacobson said. “I think ... those kids who aren’t actually Jewish are really the ones making a difference [because] they can educate themselves and their friends on how to be allies to their Jewish friends.”

One way to make that difference, according to Jacobson, is practicing Jewish allyship in conversation. She said that Anti-semitism is prevalent in offensive jokes and stereotypes, because what seems like a small joke could have much larger implications.

“We… talk about combating things as simple as Holocaust jokes and I think... that awareness and having professionals outside of BVN [as guest speakers] really helps to give that real world example of why those things aren’t okay,” Jacobson said.

As for how the club spreads that awareness, Jacobson said that word of mouth and social media are essential to inform students, both about club events and to educate all students about Jewish issues.

“It kind of tells people, ‘Hey, this behavior isn’t okay,’ [or], at least, that’s the goal,” Jacobson said. “It tells them that [Anti-semitism is] not just something that is seen on social media, but it’s also a local issue.”

April 2021 | The North Star | 13

MONEY

Feature

Blue Valley School District releases plans for the $4 million budget deficit.

By Kara Deskin and Arshiya Pant

W

ill my favorite classes be cut?” “Are there going to be changes in staffing?”

“How are we in a $4

million deficit?”

These are the questions raised among BVN students after a video regarding the Blue Valley District’s deficit and its possible ramifications was posted on BVN Broadcast’s Instagram. The video, uploaded on Feb. 4, announced the $4 million deficit and discussed its possible impacts on classes at BVN. Clearer budgetary plans were announced at the Board of Education meeting March 8. According to the presentation at the board meeting, at the high schools, the district plans to cut nonspecial education paraprofessionals and certified staff “due to attrition,” meaning teachers who resign or retire will not be replaced.

Before this announcement, teachers including choir director Jason Sickel and librarian Abby Cornelius said faculty had one staff meeting with district office personnel for a ThoughtExchange, where teachers submitted ideas for cuts and placed importance on what to keep.

“I will say that when we met with one of the assistant superintendents, they were looking over everybody’s thoughts, and teachers were pretty adamant about making sure that things that impact our students the most don’t get cut,” Sickel said. “So don’t cut teacher positions, don’t cut paraprofessionals. All the things that directly impact kids, like the adult in the room, don’t touch that.”

Sickel also said that teachers got the opportunity to evaluate district and

14 | The North Star | april 2021

school-level staff positions.

“So, that was kind of a cool thing to see teachers look at district office positions,” Sickel said. “Are there district office positions that don’t serve a purpose, or that maybe could be consolidated? But don’t mess with people who directly work with kids.”

At the time of the interview, Sickel continued to say he doubted the removal of anything impacting students directly.

As of March 8, the district decided to do just that.

“

Our focus is always first, educating students and providing exemplary education to students with exemplary staff, and I don’t think that’s changed.

- Jenni Daniel

“

Included in the “non-special education paras” cut is BVN’s library para. In his presentation to the school board on March 8, Deputy Superintendent Kyle Hayden said that the budget reduction process never has any easy decisions.

“You realize that they’re people that are attached to this and that you’re impacting their lives,” Hayden said in the board meeting presentation. “And we

don’t take that lightly.”

Librarians Cornelius and Terri Snethen reflected on what the loss means for the library staff.

“Thirty-six states have done studies that say that if you have a better staff, a better-funded library, test scores increase, graduation rates increase and the mastery of standards increases,” Cornelius said.

She went on to predict what this could mean for the future of BVN. “Conversely there are studies that say the opposite... what’s going to happen is test scores are going to go down, graduation rates are going to go down.”

According to Cornelius, the faculty didn’t have an adequate means of communication to properly articulate their thoughts on the budget, rendering them with little say in decisions that will directly affect them.

“We had one meeting where the entire staff was on a Zoom with a higher-level person at district office and we had a ThoughtExchange,” Cornelius said. “...but we had five minutes to vote on everything, and it was a really stressful, difficult way to express our feelings.”

Snethen added that it felt like budget reductions were affecting schoollevel faculty and district-level jobs disproportionately.

“We feel like they’re starting at the bottom instead of at the top. They’re cutting some of the lowest paid positions which are directly in contact with students, and not the people who are the farthest removed from students,” Snethen said.

The difference in prioritization of the district and school jobs applies to more than just the BV district. Research done

TALK$ Listen and Learn “What do you value?”

by Education Next shows that in the past two decades, the amount of school-level jobs have gone up about 34 percent, whereas administrative positions have gone up nearly 75 percent.

At the board meeting, the district also announced that about $2.6 million in budget reductions will come directly from the district level as opposed to the school level. However, according to the budget reduction plan, district staff hasn’t been reduced at all whereas school-level staff has.

“When you combine the amount of money saved from the people they cut, it’s like, $25,000... We’ve spent more than their salaries on new books,” Cornelius said.

After Cornelius stated that the budget wouldn’t be significantly reduced with the new staff cuts, Snethen emphasized that with or without the removal of a library para, the library budget isn’t in a good place.

“Between rightsizing and zero-based budgeting, they have all these buzzwords for it, but basically it means we have no money,” Snethen said.

According to principal Tyson Ostroski, the deficit, which was previously announced and discussed at a district board meeting, is a cumulation of multiple causes throughout the course of the past few years.

“Right now we know there is a $4 million dollar deficit in the district due to the fact that we’re not growing like we used to, we’re not building new schools for which we get state money, and we don’t get as much state funding as opposed to other districts in Kansas,” Ostroski said. “I mean, there are a lot of things that schools

spend their money on.”

So what exactly do the schools spend their money on?

The BV District’s 2020-2021 school year summary of total expenditures shows nine specific sections that the schools spend their money on. This information is open to the public on the BV website’s homepage and details both the categories and the amounts that have been spent.

These categories include instruction, student support services, instructional

“

We had five minutes to vote on everything and it was a really stressful, difficult way to express our feelings.

- Abby Cornelius

“

support services, administration & support, operations & maintenance, transportation, food services, capital improvements, debt services and along with these, an “other” category. The top three categories that use the budget are instruction, which takes up about 80 percent of the budget, student support services, and instructional support services.

According to Director of Finance Jenni Daniel, these priorities haven’t changed.

“I don’t think our financial priorities have ever changed,” Daniel said. “Our focus is always first, educating students

The Blue Valley district conducted Listen and Learn sessions with over 2,000 Blue Valley community members to find out what they value educationally. These were the top five results.

Quality Teachers

Social and Emotional Learning

Education Programs

Extracurriculars

Class Size

april 2021 | The North Star | 15

Feature

and providing exemplary education to students with exemplary staff, and I don’t think that’s changed.”

While in this financial situation, BV schools are also currently in the process of constructing several new gyms at their high schools. The money for the new gym comes from bond funds and has raised some questions about how the district is managing new construction while in debt.

According to Ostroski, the answer isn’t that simple.

“Well, the money comes from a few different places. The money for that comes from bonds. Bonds that come from the community are not tied to teacher salaries or the kind of money we’re talking about here,” Ostroski said. “There are different buckets [of the budget] so to speak.

There’s a bond and there’s a state-level and they’re meant for separate things. The money for the new gym doesn’t have to do with salaries or classes, it’s meant for building things.”

Many staff members of the BV community place importance on the arts programs. One of these staff members is Alison Crane, art department chair, who

said the importance of the arts has been increasingly prevalent within the past year.

“Anywhere you go, an arts community is absolutely necessary, you have to have a way to express yourself creatively… kids

“

The arts are so important, and we’ve got to maintain those as much as we can.

- Alison Crane

“

need a way to feel like a part of a community,” Crane said. “If we don’t have the arts, what do we have? It’s the lifeblood of any community, and the arts are super important now more than ever because of everything that’s happened in the past year. The arts are so important, and we’ve got to maintain those as much as we can.”

Crane explained that the majority

of the arts budget comes from student enrollment and student fees. This suggests that as long as enrollment in the arts programs and classes stay steady, there likely won’t be any classes or resources cut.

Teachers like Crane and Sickel are sure that the removal of classes is not likely to happen, but others disagree. Media and broadcast teacher Charlie Huette, however, said he is positive that at one point, a program will be cut.

“I’ve had [people] talk to me and say ‘Hey, that video was kind of alarmist’... but the fact of the matter is something is going to get cut, and some program that someone, whoever that is, values and likes is going to disappear and for that student, it’s going to feel like a terrible situation,” Huette said.

In response to the idea that the broadcast video may have come across as alarmist, senior Grace Plunkett, the creator and editor of the video said that the subject of the budget itself is inherently alarming.

“That video got the most views that have ever been on our page, and so I think that really says something, that people are

“It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. I will say that when we met with one of the assistant superintendents, they were looking over everybody’s thoughts and teachers were pretty adamant about let’s make sure that the things that impact our students the most don’t get cut. So, don’t cut teacher positions, don’t cut paraprofessionals. All the things that directly impact kids, like the adult in the room, don’t touch that. So, that was kind of a cool thing to see teachers say, like look at District Office positions... I would like to think that Blue Valley would make that the very, very last resort. I think our district is smart enough to say, let’s not do that, unless it’s a really dire situation.

- Jas on Sickel, choral dire ctor

“The fact of the matter is something is going to get cut, and some program that someone, whoever that is, values and likes is going to disappear and for that student, it’s going to feel like a terrible situation. I think it’s really easy to say it won’t affect ‘Program X,’ and for the majority of people, that’s true. Who knows what it is? But for the majority of people, the programs that they love might most likely not get cut, but there will be people who do get affected by that... BVN had a writing workshop program up until a few years ago that got discontinued, so, for example, think about the students in that class. That was a terrible loss.”

- Charlie Huette, broadc ast te acher

16 | The North Star | april 2021

becoming aware of this and they know it’s a problem. [Cutting classes] is something that is supposed to be alarming, it’s not something you watch and brush off,” Plunkett said.

Huette added that the aim of the video was emotional appeal and awareness as opposed to a strictly informative intent.

“When they pitched the idea I knew it was going to be over-the-top in terms of its emotional appeal. But I feel like if it gets people to have the conversation, then it’s doing its job,” Huette said.

However, Ostroski re-emphasized that the cutting of art classes will most likely not be an issue and that he cannot be sure as to why the removal of art classes was the primary concern in the BVN broadcast team’s video.

“I don’t know at this juncture what they’re looking at in terms of evaluating programs,” Ostroski said. “I know there’s a lot of talks when there are budget issues, but I know that the school and the district values these elective programs that tap into students’ passions and what they’ll pursue in the future... I can’t speak to why art classes were specifically mentioned by the broadcast team.”

Plunkett explained the sources of the research for the video.

“A week before the video, some teachers were talking about budget cuts and all that, nearly almost all my teachers were… I got all the information from teachers, mainly Mr. Huette, business teachers and ELA teachers,” Plunkett said.

However, there isn’t a large amount of specific, accurate information in terms of what the deficit may impact. As of Feb 12, clear budgetary plans were not yet fully formed and finalized according to Ostroski, so it was difficult to answer many of the specifics of the students’ and staff’s concerns.

“It’s hard to answer a lot of these questions right now, but we’ll have a better idea of how everything is going to look soon... but we do know the district values students and the classes that are important to them,” Ostroski said.

Similar to Ostroski, Daniel also stressed the fact that the district values the people and what they care about.

In a statement made previous to the board meeting when official budget reduction plans were announced, Daniel remained confident that Blue Valley’s

main priority is staff and students.

“We are looking at everything right now, but we are always looking at things that are going to affect students and staff the least amount,” Daniel said. “We are always going to go for how we can cut things... before we affect staff and students.”

Daniel was unable to respond in time for publication when asked to comment on the official release of the new budgetary plans.

The Blue Valley School District has decided to proceed with the plans presented at the board meeting and will execute these plans during the 20212022 school year, but even with more specific plans for the 2021-2022 school year, the cuts aren’t over — Hayden also said in the March 8 board meeting that the district would continue to look at budget reductions, with plans to establish committees to study high school course offerings and bell schedules, elementary school specials schedules and resource allocations for both, as well as all school start times.

Teachers Weigh In: Cutting Classes Due to the recent influx of information and awareness of the current budget, students, teachers, faculty and other BV members have formed varying opinions and predictions about the results the deficit may cause. The majority of opinions fall into two categories: budget cuts will directly negatively impact classes, or budget cuts will most likely not affect classes directly. The statements of teachers Jason Sickel and Charlie Huette reflect these opinions.

april 2021 | The North Star | 17

Finance flow A simplified overview of how Blue Valley North obtains and distributes funding.

The school budget changes each year based on need, enrollment, tax rates and property value, among other factors. All numbers are based on the 20202021 district budget. By Gabrielle Kill

Bonds are funds that can only be spent in schools. They work similarly to loans: investors buy bonds, temporarily funding schools, and the district returns the money over several years.

Foundation grants fill the gap between the school district’s available money and the full amount of funding students need.

40% state funds

Foundation grants

50% Property taxes

Education

10% Federal funds

Blue Valley School District

Bonds

Debt 17%

Student & Instructional support 9%

Food and transport 5%

Other BV Schools

18 | The North Star | April 2021

MAINTENANCE & IMPROVEMENTS 16% Administration

support 8%

Instruction 44%

Blue Valley NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

Source: Blue Valley School District website’s “Finance” section

beauty

feature

barriers

students give their opinions on beauty standards in today’s society

BY ADELAIDE EDWARDS

F

rom a young age, junior El O’Brien saw herself being devalued, disregarded and overlooked, due to being unattractive by society’s standards. Her academic achievements were pushed aside, as others, who were more conventionally attractive, were praised for the same accomplishments.

O’Brien said she saw the effects of this appearance bias as a child. Besides the myriad of instances she was exposed to in school, O’Brien observed this bias in performing arts as well, and said she believes that her talent is often overlooked due to the fact that there are others who are more conventionally attractive.

“A lot of my friends were these very traditionally pretty, skinny dancers,” O’Brien said.

“And I was always just the extra one there.”

While being exposed to this dichotomy — those who are beautiful, and those who are not — O’Brien said she realized that her features do not fit with the societal standards of beauty.

“I’ve definitely worked a lot to get [beauty standards] out of my mind. Especially growing up as a chubbier person, it [has] a lot of impact,” O’Brien said. “I’ve spent probably the last five years or so just trying to train [beauty standards] out of my brain and get rid of that, and it’s still there.”

In 2017, “Allure” columnist Janet Mock wrote that “being pretty is a privilege,” and used the phrase “pretty privilege” in an interview on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” She created the term to describe the way she witnessed more opportunities and better treatment being given to those deemed pretty by society. This viewpoint and term was also influenced by Mock’s life as a Black trans woman, and, when she coined the term, she acknowledged the intersection of race and pretty privilege.

Being Asian American, junior Nhi (Anna) Hoang said that beauty standards differ between Asian and American cultures, especially when it comes to skin color and skin tone.

“I think skin color does factor into what

April 2021 | The North Star | 19

feature society thinks is beautiful,” Hoang said.

“I grew up with a lot of Asian beauty standards and they were always leaning towards more fair and pale skin.”

According to Hoang, the standards of beauty, especially regarding skin color, were essentially universal, and this was no exception for men.

“In Asia... with more recent beauty standards I’ve seen men and women in Asia, share kind of the same beauty standards. They both want pale skin, they both have very similar skincare routines and they both want their face to look like a doll,” Hoang said.

Despite the standards, Hoang said she has no desire to change herself. She was born with a birthmark on her face, and although she doesn’t consider it attractive by society’s standards, she has no plans of getting it removed.

“There are a lot of standards to meet, and it can impact a person very negatively, and that can factor into a million other things: their mental health, how they view themselves, their self esteem, all that. It’s very destructive,” she said.

Like Mock and Hoang, sophomore Supriya Bolla brought up the aspect of race in correlation with beauty standards.

She believes that due to her skin tone and ethnicity, she has not been deemed beautiful by society, and moreover that beauty standards have led to the exclusion of people of color in American mainstream media.

“You don’t see minority groups [in the media], even though America is extremely diverse,” Bolla said.

Bolla described beauty standards as revolving around the word “light.” With celebrities selling products designed to lighten the skin, and an overrepresentation of lighter-skinned people in the media, Bolla said the desire to have fair skin is strong, especially in her culture. However, Bolla said it goes beyond that — lightness is applied universally, not just in skin tone.

“

Everything comes down to being light, like light in skin tone light in hair color, light in weight, light in how much you wear

- SUPRIYA BOLLA

“

“Everything comes down to being light, like light in skin tone, light in hair color, light in weight, light in how much you wear,” Bolla said. “Nothing against it… [but] it’s almost expected that you have to show off all of your skin and all your assets in order to be pretty.”

Dr. Akiko Takeyama is an Associate Professor of Women, Gender and Sexuality studies at the University of

Kansas. Takeyama agreed with Bolla that the media shows Caucasian features more than other cultural features.

“Because of the globalization today, we share Hollywood movies... cosmetics, beauty magazines, [circulating] on a global scale,” Takeyama said. “And also beauty pageants, like Miss Universe, those things impact how people see what the universal beauty is. And oftentimes, these are the things academically studied: pale skin, pointed nose. Pretty much Caucasiain features are becoming beauty standard.”

With standards being focused toward Caucasian features, Takeyama pointed out that companies and products are likely following this trend.

“Another interesting observation is when you go to the cosmetic section of any of the drug stores, usually the cosmetic line is targeted for the white woman. A black student mentioned their limitation of color,” Takeyama said. “...

Other cosmetic products are pretty limited because the main consideration is set as white people.”

With signs all around, from beauty products to TV show characters to models, Takeyama said the subconscious messages about beauty from society are easy to take in and be seen as the truth.

“It’s like representation of white beauty being cast as ideal beauty,” Takeyama said, “ if you see enough of that, you sort of internalize how other people

Are you beautifuL?

students at BVN were polled and asked if they thought they were conventionally attractive

no

yes

37% 20 | The North Star | APRIL 2021

63%

according to an instagram poll of 73 students

think of white beauty as the idealized beauty. ...Thinking about say a beauty competition, who wins the competition [is] usually somebody who is close enough to the Caucasian beauty, not exactly maybe, because of the diversity today, but not too far away from that beauty standard.”

How one’s body looks is a definitive factor in if they are seen as beautiful, and Bolla said that she sees the standard for body type as being slim and fit.

“Everything is very aligned with, you have to be fit, you have to be active, you have to be like a certain weight, a certain height. And that usually almost always

leans towards being very skinny and tall,” Bolla said.

These are expectations that go for both male and female bodies, but other differences in expectations do apply. Bolla expressed that the differences in male and female expectations draw from strong and weak complexities. She shared that males have to be strong and look tough, while females have to show their delicacy and softness. She pointed out the juxtaposition in female expectations. “[For females,] if you use too much makeup you’re trying to modify yourself, but at the same time, if you aren’t

trying to put that effort in, you’re still criticized,” Bolla said. “It’s like there’s almost a tipping point with female beauty standards, whereas [with] male [beauty standards], they don’t care… Expectations are a lot harsher on the female beauty side.”

But, at the end of the day, Bolla said she is confident in her own skin, and comfortable with who she is.

“I’m not putting in the effort to make myself beautiful to other people, Bolla said. “If I do, it’s for me, it’s not for anyone else. But to myself, I’m cool with whatever I do.”

FOX EYE TREND no

yes

Have you heard of the “fox eye” trend?

44%

what is it?

56 %

according to an instagram poll of 135 students

The fox eye trend was a makeup trend that became popular over the last year. The trend features ways to make eyes appear more slanted, angled and Accentuated. A combination of makeup is the most common way to get the fox eye, but tape or high ponytails have also been used to pull back the corners of the eyes to create an almond shape. Celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Megan Fox have all been criticized for the fox eye trend. Critics are offended because of the stark resemblance it bears to common asian features, something the community was mocked for in the past.

no

yes

do you think the “fox eye” trend is harmful?

46 %

54% “you can’t bully asian people about it and then make it a trend and call it fox eye.”

-junior milenka eterovic “taking that trait, and then making it a trend and something you gain from it, you don’t get hate crimed, nobody bullies you, nobody like stereotypes, it’s not right.”

-junior saya ahmed

“I don’t necessarily think that it’s harmful if they understand the background information about it. If people understand the racism behind the trend and acknowledge that it’s wrong to make fun of people for having small eyes then i don’t see a huge problem” -senior julia kim

according to an instagram poll of 68 students

“It’s making an ‘aesthetic’ of something people in the asian community are made fun of [for].”

-freshman Clara resende “For so long asian people have been made fun of for their eyes. The trend, after years of mocking asians, exploits their features.”

-freshman faye sanden

April 2021 | The North Star | 21

FEATURE

THE NAME OF THE GAME

Three perspectives regarding the ongoing debate over the role of cultural appropriation in the Chiefs football team, and whether or not the name should be changed.

By Caroline Clarke

Chiefs 101

the story behind the team’s name, mascot and recent changes in the status quo.

The Name:

According to an article by Native journalist Vincent Shilling, the Chiefs’ name comes from Harold Roe Bartle, former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, for two terms from 1956 to 1963. He claimed “Chief ” or “Chief Lone Bear” as his nickname, a reference to the Tribe of Mic-O-Say honor society that he founded in affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America, Heart of America organization. The Tribe of MicO-Say organization was a predominantly White group that was known to imitate Native culture, including a ceremony where new members would have an eagle claw placed around their neck and would be given a “Native name” by Bartle.

During his time as mayor, Bartle convinced Lamar Hunt to move his AFL team, the Dallas Texans, to Kansas City in 1963. Hunt renamed the team as the Chiefs as a tribute to Bartle’s influence on the move.

The Mascot:

The original mascot of the Chiefs football team was a man dressed in stereotypical Native clothing, jewelry and a headdress, riding a horse named “Warpaint.” In 1989, this mascot was changed to the KC Wolf, in light of claims that the original mascot was offensive and appropriated Native culture. Warpaint was originally discontinued, but returned to Arrowhead stadium in 2009 and is accompanied by a new rider, Susie.

The Status Quo:

Recently, the Chiefs have been making some changes to traditions within the crowd. According to an article by ESPN, the Chiefs opted to ban headdresses and face paint that imitates Native culture in August 2020. This came after much scrutiny about blatant displays of racism and stereotyping of Native culture by fans. There have been ongoing efforts to adapt the “Tomahawk Chop,” a hand motion used by fans and cheerleaders during the games. However, it remains prevalent among the crowds, including the team’s appearance in the 2020 and 2021 Super Bowl games.

22 | The North Star | april 2021

Angelica Henson: Senior, Member of the Comanche nation Q: Do you find the Chiefs’ name offensive?

A: “I personally do find it offensive, but whenever I talk

Q: A:

Q: A:

about this with other people I like non-Natives to keep in mind that not every Native American will find it offensive. I know people that don’t find it a very big deal, while there are other very strong-minded Native activists that are completely against the Chiefs, the Redskins, any sort of imagery or symbolism that kind of alludes to Native American stuff, because not only is the history behind it not okay, but also the intentions.

Because whenever there are names like the Chiefs or the Redskins and such, it gives people the idea that those are OK words to refer to these people, and it really draws back the humanity of Native Americans and pushes forward that they’re more of a caricature rather than actual people, you know? That’s just my stance on it, though. My stance doesn’t speak on every Native American.”

Do you think they should change the name?

I do think that they should change it... Personally, I’m just not really into football...I’m glad that they stopped permitting Native American headdresses... I’m gonna be honest, I really don’t care more or less. Just as long as people aren’t so racist.”

How does the prevalence of Chiefs branding in the Kansas City area affect you and your family?

“We notice that, at least whenever it comes to the Super Bowl season, that Chiefs fans can be very aggressive, and we see that very often in sports areas... so we kind of avoid it because people will wear the bright red attire and then headdresses, or do the whole Tomahawk Chop thing. Seeing racism has a really big effect on Native Americans’ mental health, because it’s really harmful.

It’s just always been tolerated, even since my mom was a kid, and she grew up in the ’80s, it just hasn’t ever changed. So, it is really harmful, and I think people can do more to just really not do that kind of stuff.”

Disclaimer: Angelica Henson is a member of The North Star Staff

Dr. ERIC ANDERSON: Member of Citizen band Potawatomi Nation, Professor of Indigenous Studies, Haskell University Q: Do you find the Chiefs’ name offensive?

A: “Personally, [the name] Chiefs, I don’t find that

Q: A:

Q: A:

offensive. But, be aware I am not speaking for everyone. I’m speaking only for myself. Some people may find it very offensive... I think there are a lot worse names out there... I understand that some people may find it offensive just because it’s inaccurate. Not every tribe or tribal nation has or had that designation of leadership called a Chief, that’s really kind of an imposition from an outsider’s perspective... But for me, the name itself, I don’t find as offensive as some others [team names], certainly.”

Do you find the rest of the branding, such as the logo (arrowhead) or fan behaviors (the “Tomahawk Chop”) offensive?

“That is sort of the other side of the coin. The name itself might sound fairly innocuous, but the imagery and the fan behavior that has gone along with the Chiefs’ name might be something else... The image of the Chiefs is most famously now, an arrowhead, which may not seem so bad, but it’s hard to boil a group of people down to one single thing... I think that’s problematic, and especially with Indians. You have 573 different tribal nations that are recognized by the federal government. They’re not all the same, obviously. So, the imagery could be more problematic [than the name]. If you have a mascot, like a horse, that references war, that builds into old stereotypes about Indians being bloodthirsty or warlike or things of that nature. Obviously, things like the Tomahawk Chop build into that sort of popular consciousness about Native people being aggressive or on the warpath.”

Does the Chiefs’ name contribute to cultural appropriation? When does this become harmful?

“That larger historical picture, when you think about sports teams’ names, what are they generally? ...

Many times they are animals, and many times they are fictional creatures ... If we start to lump Indians in with animals and mythical creatures, then I think that’s a really important point to consider ... because there was a time in this country’s history when Indians were considered to be obstacles to overcome. Warfare and removal and genocidal practices greatly reduced our numbers, and there was a time 100 years ago or so, where it was pretty much the dominant thinking that Indians were gonna disappear, and vanish. Therefore, there’s still a train of thought out there that Indians aren’t really contemporary. The images that get conjured up about Indians are of the past, of teepees and Indians always on horseback. Something that’s far removed, that isn’t real anymore... If sports mascots are generally either animals and not human, or they are mythical or legendary... I think you can begin to see how that unpacks in terms of being offensive.”

Warpaint, original Chiefs mascot until 1989

JEREMY CHUGG: Lifelong Chiefs fan

Q: What does the Chiefs branding mean to you, as a longtime fan of the team?

A: “The hometown part of it for me is more important than

Q: A:

Q: A:

the branding. I know the story of the mascot, and I know the different ways that people kind of try and explain it away. I think we can do better. And I don’t think it would really be that big of a shift. I don’t think it ruins any memories of Derek Thomas when I was a kid, or Neil Smith with the Band-Aid over his nose... I don’t think any of that really gets ruined because you change the name of the team ... We’re always gonna know that that was the name of the team. Like, it’s gonna be obvious, you know? You can acknowledge that, and acknowledge the hurt that it’s caused for people.”

How do the Chiefs impact Kansas City?

“In the last decade, the pride in Kansas City, in being from here, has exploded... All of that pride though, comes from a generation who’s more proud of hometowns, but also because the Royals had success in 2014 and 2015, so people got really excited about that, and it builds community. It builds a sense of pride in where you’re from... It’s the same thing currently with the Chiefs. It’s a lot of pride, having the best player in the history of football, arguably, on your team...

Whatever it is, in the end, what people get excited about is community, and fields like sports can really bring communities together. It happens all over the world all the time. So, that’s what we’re cheering for... You’re not cheering for the stadium to be named Arrowhead... If you could get rid of that stuff, it might free you up to be more excited. You might be able to have everyone actually participate in the chant together, because people don’t participate in the Tomahawk Chop the way they used to anymore... People need to remember that they’re cheering for their hometown.”

What would you say to fans who are resistant to changing the name or the branding?

“What are you cheering for? Are you cheering for a caricature? Are you cheering for an appropriated image? Are you cheering for a mascot, or are you cheering for the players on the field? Are you cheering for your hometown? That’s what I would say... I’ve been a Chiefs fan for 35 years, and I’m totally fine if they change their name.”

april 2021 | The North Star | 23

editorial cartoon - opinion

Editorial Cartoon by Angelica Henson

recent team developments washington football team

cleveland’s BAseball team

In early July 2020, formerly named Washington Redskins, announced that they would be retiring their name and logo after years of controversy. In the past, the team was criticized

by Native American communities and organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians for its racial insensitivity. This summer, major sponsors of the league threatened to stop supporting the team because of their name. Now named the Washington Football Team, the team is in the process of rebranding themselves.

The Cleveland Indians also said they would review their team nickname following the Washington Football Team’s decision this summer. They announced Dec. 14 they would change their name after the 2021 baseball season. The Cleveland Indians experienced protests regarding their name and logo, as many argued the former team name has long been considered racist and demeaning. The team also removed ‘Chief Wahoo’ as their logo and mascot because of its racial insensitivity.

24 | The North Star | APRIL 2021

Letter from the editors - Opinion

rethink and relearn

As our world changes, we need to learn to change and progress with it.

w

e are now entering the final stretch — fourth quarter has begun. We have endured constant Zoom meetings, uncertain schedules and global chaos, as well as personal tragedies and tensions. We have persevered through managing tests and school assignments on top of living through a pandemic. We have made it this far, and now it’s time to keep pushing until we reach the end.

For many students, this quarter has changed with hybrid now being all in-person, evoking an array of emotions. Having those days at home had truly become a new normal. Many of us are used to the extra freedom and time we have on our “off” days that give us the energy to come to school. Now, going to school five days a week feels almost overbearing. On top of this change in mindset, we need to adjust to full classrooms, crowded hallways and limited parking spaces.

However, the switch to in-person has also been reenergizing. We are able to reconnect with friends and peers who have only existed on a screen for the past year.

Our classrooms are more talkative; there are less awkward and dull moments. We are able to feed off each other’s energy and experience living through such a difficult time together.

The past month has consisted of many tragedies.

Recently, anti-Asian hate crimes have come to the top of social justice discussions. Only now are we acknowledging a situation that has been occurring for decades globally, nationally and even within our own classrooms. Although the pandemic has heightened these instances with increased racism shown toward the Asian community and false accusations being thrown, it is important for us to look more closely at the smaller instances of racism and prejudice we observe on a daily basis.

Everything from trending facial features to namecalling to making fun of peers for their food, clothing and culture — these are moments we need to call out. This is

a time to step back and reconsider our actions. We need to realize that each action and each word has an effect on the people around us. Many minority communities are frequently described as “disadvantaged,” “slow,” “smart,” etcetera. Labels are placed on communities before people have lived long enough to fully understand who they are. Being fed these labels psychologically has an effect on mindset and on potential. Even with the same surface-level opportunities, we need to acknowledge that background and identity create hidden roadblocks and carve paths without giving people the chance to carve them for themselves.

So what can we do to prevent this?

We can start by looking internally and taking note of our own actions and biases. We can take the time to have conversations and learn about communities outside our own in order to expand our perspective and be more understanding.

Now is the time to look inwardly and raise awareness for the hardships faced by so many people, not only when it is trending, but always. It is time to rethink events and actions we have been conditioned to view as “normal” and understand why they shouldn’t be. Seeking out resources and becoming educated on culture and current events is never a waste of time and is something essential to our daily lives.

As we fight through this last quarter, we must be aware of our actions and how we carry ourselves. We must be aware that we are future doctors, artists, scientists, musicians, and more. We are the next generation’s leaders, and in order to move society forward, we need to rethink and relearn the teachings of the past to create a better future.

- Yasmeen Saadi and Ellianna Cierpiot, Editors-in-Chief

april 2021 | The North Star | 25

Student Life

PRIVATE TO A look into how BVN students who have come from religious private schools and transitioned to a larger public school.

By Caroline Haines

J

unior Avi Silverberg used to wake up and put on his khakis and polo shirt.

He would partake in morning prayer, religion classes and prayers before and after meals. He is now able to pick out his own ensemble of clothing that gives him the freedom to express himself and take classes at Blue Valley North that go beyond religious views.

From kindergarten through eighth grade, Silverberg attended Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. HBHA is a Jewish day school located inside the Jewish Community Center that teaches grades K-12. The school places an emphasis on dual-language curriculum where students learn Hebrew and English, and general Jewish and Hebrew studies.

Silverberg found the school to be restricting in what he wanted he wanted to get out of his education. He was interested in learning about other topics that were not offered in the curriculum, such as different languages, but that was not available.

“It was a strict social bubble,” Silverberg said.

According to Silverberg, few people sought out friendships outside of the school, and they were not exposed to people with different religious values or beliefs than them.

After eighth grade, Silverberg and his family made the decision to transfer to BVN. “The absence of religion at BVN was such a nice change,” Silverberg said. “It was not restricting at all and let me think about things independently and didn’t interlude.”

Once he came to BVN, he said he did not maintain the religious practices he had learned for the past nine years of his life.

“I stopped being religious once I left the school because I saw it as a waste of time from the start,” Silverberg said.

He said he does not see the value of

26 | The North Star | April 2021

organized religion and believing in an entity that he struggles to believe exists.

Sophomore Agam Gur-Esh transferred from Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy to Overland Trail Middle School in eighth grade. Gur-Esh felt the school was too small for her and she was looking for a public school experience where she could diversify her social circle. At her time in HBHA, she said she would spend approximately an hour every morning doing prayers. She would also do a prayer before lunch, called the Hamotzi, and the Birkat Hamazon for after lunch. When

“

I stopped being religious once I left the school because I saw it as a waste of time from the start

-Avi Silverberg

“

Gur-Esh first transferred to public school her days felt incomplete without the religious aspect and like she was missing something.

“I thought it was kind of weird, just like, oh my God should we be doing prayers right now? Because I’m supposed to be doing prayers right now,” Gur-esh said.

Gur-esh said she now implements Judaism in her life through celebrating Shabbat and holidays, but does not practice it to the extent she used to.

Within the midst of transitioning to online school, sophomore Miller Brown also transitioned into a new school environment. After spending

four years at HBHA, Brown transferred to BVN. Although he was nervous to start at a new school, the transition was not as difficult because most of his year has been spent online. He also knew some friends from HBHA and other experiences. Brown said his entire grade was 18 students, so he was unsure of what to expect when BVN students come back in person, when he may have a class with 30 or so people.

According to Brown, the curriculum was rather similar to Blue Valley North, except they had Hebrew and Jewish studies.

“My ninth grade year I had three Jewish classes, Hebrew Jewish studies and yoga which they ran as a Jewish class,” Brown said.

Another difference at Hyman Brand versus public school is the flexibility in the food. At HBHA everyone was required to maintain kosher laws — essentially not to eat pork products or mix meat with dairy.

Students were not allowed to bring meat to school, a rule that isn’t in place at BVN. Since leaving HBHA Brown does not follow the kosher laws when contemplating

PUBLIC

Day in the Life

AT HBHA 45 minutes of morning prayers Geometry

what he will have for school lunch.

Brown continues to connect to his Judaism by maintaining connections in his community and applying his knowledge from his Jewish studies courses to the real world.

Senior Maddie Jones spent kindergarten through eighth grade at Christian Lutheran School, located just off Nieman Road.

Jones’s parents decided to send her to the school because of a lack of other schooling options that offered full-day kindergarten. Jones said her parents

“

I was just learning so much and it was just a great environment

-Maddie Jones

“

quickly fell in love with the school and found it was the best fit for her.

“I was just learning so much and it was just a great environment,” Jones said.

Jones spent kindergarten through eighth grade with the same 20 kids in her grade. The curriculum focused both on traditional core subjects, like math and English, and offered a more religious aspect to education. According to Jones, students were taught to memorize the U.S. presidents alongside Bible verses. Each morning there were religion classes that taught the principles of Lutheranism.

Every Wednesday students were also expected to attend chapel. When Jones came to BVN, she noticed a change in the content being taught.

“We didn’t learn evolution like we did

in bio freshmen year,” Jones said. “We leaned it based on Christianity and what the Bible says.”

When Jones was in eighth grade, she began to think about which school she would attend as a freshman. She could have continued the path of attending private schools, such as Saint Thomas Aquinas. However, Jones said she was ready to get out of her bubble and experience a new environment with new students and be exposed to new religions and cultures.

Junior Anna Hamilton had a similar schooling experience to Jones. Hamilton was enrolled in Nativity Parish School from third to eighth grade. Her parents chose to enroll her there because of her previous experience at her private school in Kentucky.

“They wanted to keep things kind of similar for me, size-wise and environmentwise, so Nativity was the best fit for us,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton was in a grade with 44 other students where they were very close and attended outside activities like the Catholic Youth Organization of Johnson County.

In school, she said they upheld religious practices with a morning prayer after the pledge of allegiance, a prayer before and after class, a prayer before lunch and before they were dismissed for the day. They also had an all school mass every Tuesday morning. When Hamilton came to North in ninth grade, she said she had to learn how to connect to her faith on her own without structured religion in her life.

She also experienced somewhat of a culture shock as her time at Nativity was sheltered.

“It definitely feels more real world to me, instead of just only talking and interacting with people like you,” Hamilton said.

World History Hamotzi: A blessing over the bread that takes places before the meal Lunch Birkat Hamazon: The blessing after a meal to thank God for bread Jewish Studies Hebrew Gym: Weights, yoga, racquet sports English Biology

April 2021 | The North Star | 27

it’s all about

balance

students at BVn have a lot on their plates, balancing school work, extracurriculars, sports and, for many, a job.

by Reece Bachta

A

bout a year ago, junior Gabby Gutierrez filled out her application to work with her friends at Goldfish Swim School. As the months went on, Gutierrez learned how to balance a job, school work and social life, as she worked to make her own money.

According to a poll from the BVN News Instagram of 94 students, 62 percent stated that they balance school with a job.

Gutierrez said that she feels as though having a job is important, but it is not easy to juggle with the other priorities of a teenager. At Goldfish Swim School, Gutierrez teaches young kids how to swim. “[I enjoy] encouraging my students to push themselves out of their comfort zones and to try new things and really push them to do their best and be a positive role model for them,” Gutierrez said. ”I’ve also learned how to work with kids and to be more

patient.”

Gutierrez said that the pay is good and she works about 3.5 hours during the school week and up to nine hours over the summer. Although it keeps her busy, she said it is not hard to balance

family environment,” Gutierrez said.

Sophomore Ustella Scoggin, who works as a hostess at Cactus Grill, stated that working a job has helped to prepare her for the real world out of high school.

“My parents make me pay for almost anything including a car,” Scoggin said. “With a job I learn it is such a fun to make my own money and save it environment and instead of spending it all right away.” such a unique job Scoggin said she felt she has a pretty that gives you easy job as a hostess and recommends the opportunity the job to other students. to help kids build “I recommend it to others because confidence it’s an easy job for good money,” Scoggin said. “I am a hostess, so I just - gabby gutierrez stand at the front and clean menus and her school work and extracurriculars. answer the phone and show guests to a “I would definitely recommend this table to eat.” job to other people because it is such a Senior Charlotte Raley works at US fun environment and such a unique job Toy and said that having a job is not that gives you the opportunity to help always easy when it comes to balancing kids build confidence and everyone all her other activities. who works there is amazing. It is such a “The biggest ‘con’ is definitely the

“

“

help wanted! apply at: jobs.chipotle.com 28 | The North Star | April 2021

apply at: topgolf.com/us/ company/careers

apply at: www.workatht.com

do you have a job? “way to make money, something to do, connections.”

-joseph Madigan

62% yes

conflicting schedules. Jobs expect you to prioritize your shifts, and that can be difficult as a full time student,” Raley said.

But with the cons, come pros.

Raley said she met a lot of new people outside of high school from getting a job.

“I would say the biggest ‘pro’ of having a job in high school is definitely meeting new people. Even if you work nearby, you really get to meet people that are outside of your bubble,” Raley said. “It is a really good, real world experience.”

Raley recently made the decision to put in her two weeks at US toy to enjoy the last months of her senior year.

“I want to try to enjoy the last part of my senior year as much as I can,” Raley said, “I didn’t have trouble this year balancing athletics, school and work, but I felt like it was time for me to take some time off and have some free time.”

apply at: mypricechopper. com/careers

38% no

With the struggles of balancing school work and job work, senior Dylan Sailors, who has been working at Urban Air for about two years now, said he has found a way of balancing the two.

“

I think students should have a job. It’s a great way to make money - dylan sailors

“

“I use my time wisely with school and assignments. If I work during the week, I try to do schoolwork during the school day and after work at night.

The good thing about Urban Air is that they’re very flexible, so they go by your availability and give you time for

apply at: dunkindonuts.com/ careers

“I choose not to work a job because of covid along with a busy schedule.”

-adelaide edwards

activities,” Sailors said. “If I wanted to, I could set my availability to work only weekends, so I’d have weekdays open for homework, but it’s honestly not bad at all working weekdays. [It’s] more money coming in.”

Not all jobs pay the same, but Sailors stated that he believes he should get paid more for the work he does.

“Personally, I feel like I should be getting paid more for what I do because there are jobs elsewhere that require less work from the employees and they get paid more,” Sailors said.

But overall, Sailors recommends having a job in high school because of the benefits and skills learned.

“It’s a great way to make money and ultimately, it takes a lot of stress off your parents’ back financially,” Sailors said. “It’s also the perfect time to gain simple experience and start to build up your resume.”

apply at: jobs.target.com april 2021 | The North Star | 29

Education

Taking Stock

The stock market is difficult to understand. Here are some key terms and summaries to help make sense of current events.

By Ellianna Cierpiot

Got questions?

Key Terms

What’s a hedge fund? What’s the deal with GameStop? ...Are you sure we can’t just print more money?

Stock: The stock of a company is the entire company’s value — parts of which can be purchased.

These are called “shares.” To have stock in a company is to own multiple shares.

Recently, more questions about the seemingly elusive stock market have popped up. This was, in part, caused by a recent event with GameStop’s stock, in which an online forum’s collective involvement in buying up stock caused a rather large impact, both in and out of the stock market community, leading to many questions.

Short Selling: An investor thinks that a company’s stock will go down in value, and so they borrow shares, sell them and then buy them at a lower value to return to the lender. (e.g. Investors from a hedge fund tried short-selling shares of GameStop stock, but the value went up instead of down, so they lost money).

The American stock market is a nebulous, ambiguous system, and takes years to understand fully — but there are a few key terms that can be learned to allow more familiarity with the market as a whole — and to be prepared to understand any repeats of the “GameStop Incident.”

Exchange: A platform in which investments are traded. The most common exchanges are the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq.

Hedge Funds 101: STrength in numbers (and money) Characteristics of a hedge fund

Lack of regulation

investors pool money

A hedge fund manager takes the money and makes investments

The manager makes aggressive investments, but because of the large sum, it’s less risky

The original investors get higher returns

No transparency

High fees/Complex Structure

What are NFTs? Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, have been the subject of increasing discussion, some positive and some negative. Essentially, an NFT is a way to claim ownership of a digital media, such as an image, song or video.

an nft is a digital token

30 | The North Star | APril 2021

These tokens are used to represent unique digital items, like music or art, as proof of ownership.

the nft goes in the blockchain, which is a record of online transactions.

NFTs are exchanged for ether, a type of cryptocurrency, which can then be sold for USd. This way, people can buy and sell digital content.

education

I want to learn

more...

By Yasmeen Saadi

Books and podcasts that expand on some of the issues touched on in this issue.

about cultural appropriation WHITE NEGROES

minority korner podcast

by lauren michele jackson

WHEN CORNROWS WERE IN VOGUE....

AND OTHER THOUGHTS ON CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

LAUREN MICHELE JACKSON

This fun podcast takes issues of race, cultural appropriation and sexuality and discusses them through the lenses of various minorities. With comedian James Arthur as the host, listeners are able to both laugh and learn.

In this book, Jackson discusses various aspects of cultural appropriation visible in our everyday lives. She shows how Black culture is exploited and how this behavior leads to persisting inequality in the U.S.

about beauty standards beauty by bri lee

beauty

BRI LEE

In this book, Lee touches on the difficulties faced by women in the pursuit of looking “beautiful.” She addresses a wide variety of standards that make ideal beauty important yet, for many, unattainable.

CODE SWITCH

NPR: Code switch episode: pretty hurts

In the episode, Pretty Hurts, various women and experts answered questions and had conversations about the effect of American and cultural beauty standards on specific communities.

about finances richard h. Thaler cass r. sunstein

new york times bestseller

Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

NPR: planet money

nudge

by richard h. thaler and cass r. sunstein This book is about making decisions and how to overcome the psychological biases we contain in order to make choices that best benefit our “health, wealth and happiness.”

Planet Money

From episodes on minimum wage to printers, this podcast explains the economy both at a small and larger scale for listeners to easily get a grasp on money and all that comes with it.

April 2021 | The North Star | 31

spring break

Top Left: Seniors Ethan Wons and Hannah Smuckler in Chicago, Illinois during Spring Break. “This trip was a really good opportunity to recharge before this quarter started,” Smuckler said. photo provided by Hannah Smuckler Bottom Left: Seniors Sofia Lamento and Ka’mya Williams in Colorado. “The scenery and nature was beautiful and we made memories that will last a lifetime,” Williams said. photo provided by Sophie Novorr Top Right: Seniors Emerson Mackenzie, Samantha Perez, Molly Smith and Natalie Swerdlow (left to right) in Malibu, California. “I really enjoyed going to the beach and tried surfing for the first time,” Swerdlow said. photo provided by Charitha Lakkireddy Bottom Right: The Boys Basketball team after their win at State. “The whole thing was just an amazing experience.

I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to play on such an amazing court,” senior Ethan Breedlove said. photo provided

by Ethan Breedlove

back in school Top Left: Junior Victor DeVera listens to teacher Amy Schulte in science class. photo

by Adelaide Edwards Bottom Left: Sophomore Emma Razi takes notes during math class. photo by Yasmeen Saadi Right: Sophomore Oliver Zhang works on his computer in Todd Smith’s English class. photo by Yasmeen Saadi

32 | The North Star |april 2021